On Thursday, we had the opportunity to visit Eileen Madson Primary School (EMP), which is the Kindergarten to Grade 3 school in Invermere. Again, the staff and students were all incredibly friendly and helpful, and the school atmosphere/environment was positive and safe.
I did my 10-week practicum in a Kindergarten class in West Vancouver, so I was very excited to make observations in the 3 Kindergarten classes they have at EMP! The first class I visited reminded me somewhat of my practicum class, there were several students who seemed to have higher needs than others (although, none whom have been assessed yet). The teacher used wait time as a form of classroom management, which is a strategy I would have used as well, however, one additional strategy that I would have used would have been positive reinforcement. I find that thanking students for positive behaviour benefits the student that you are mentioning, but also makes other students more aware of expected behaviour and perhaps more motivated to follow these expectations. With this class, we went outdoors to play soccer, and I was genuinely shocked/impress with their motor skills! Most of the students could kick a soccer ball with better technique than I can – which lends further to my observation of the importance of physical activity/literacy in this community. The other Kindergarten classes that I visited were all lovely as well, but again – personally, I would implement more positive reinforcement.
An element of the Kindergarten “pod” (all 3 classrooms were in the same section of the school) that I really enjoyed, was that they each had a door that opened into a shared ‘centre’ space. This space was used for pulling-out students for more 1-to-1 work, and as a location for play centres (house, art, and a sand table). During centre time, students were allowed to venture into other Kindergarten classes and use the centres there! Each room had an adult present, and the students would come and go as they pleased. I thought that it was a fantastic way for all the Kindergarten students to have a ways to play together, explore other classrooms, and create connections that will already be in place for when they get mixed up in Grade 1.
Later in the day, I had the opportunity to visit a wonderful Grade 1 classroom. The teacher has been teaching for 20+ years and is retiring at the end of this year. She showed me ways that she assessed reading, the “Power of 10” Math program she has found so successful, and a “Thankful For” book that her students write in regularly. However, my favourite part of her class was that each student was given a fitness ball to use as their seat in the classroom! When students returned from recess, they began by doing their ball “dance” by bouncing on the spot and making arm movements. Once this was done, they did some stretching and core exercises on their balls, followed by some mindful breathing. This has been my favourite thing I’ve seen so far! It was such a great way to slowly calm students down after recess and help them focus themselves for their work.
Although a lot of work (constantly measuring/pumping up balls to ensure that they are the right height for each student) and maintaining constant expectations, this is definitely something that I would want to implement in my future classroom!
Another aspect of this Grade 1 classroom that I really appreciated and have applied in my current practice (from 10-week practicum) is the use of music playing throughout individual work, snack, or centre time. I have found that playing music in the classroom really influences the atmosphere and the energy of a space, and of the students. Additionally, this classroom utilized authentic materials (stethoscope, vitamin bottles, cages, cordless phone, etc.) as part of their centre space (vet themed) – and the use of authentic materials is something that I am conscious to use throughout my practice.
This has by far, been the best and most educational day so far of this experience! I observed some wonderful lessons, got some new lesson/activity ideas, learned about a few new assessment strategies and unit programs, and had some of my current practices reinforced by observing them being used positively in another setting!